MC rocking the runway? You bet! On February 20th, ModCloth “roared” in the year of the tiger at Carnegie Mellon University‘s 14th annualLunar Gala, a student-run fashion show held in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

This year’s show, entitled “20-Tension,” featured designs by CMU students, along with fashions from a handful of professional boutiques, including ModCloth. All designs were modeled by CMU students, and according to executive producer Hannah Pileggi, the student models were thrilled with their ModCloth looks (and also pretty psyched about the shoes they got to keep).

See more lovely Lunar looks after the jump!

Photos: Mike Lin, Molly Nix, Tom Strong, Vasil Tsarev (ModCloth)

The shindig went down in Wiegand Gym, which looked breathtaking, transformed by black curtains, a long runway, and lanterns that changed color throughout the show. The event opened with traditional Chinese dances, and runway walks were interspersed with dance numbers, original music, and even delicious dumplings at intermission!

Photos: Mike Lin, Molly Nix, Tom Strong, Vasil Tsarev (ModCloth)

What, exactly, does putting together a show like this entail? In addition to 8 board members, 60 models and 20 designers, it requires loads of effort and a lot of planning. Hannah says, “We begin in the summer with a theme, have weekly meetings in the fall, hold auditions in October, and have biweekly practices from then until the show.” Phew! The hard work pays off, though; this year, the show received rave reviews and a lot of attention from campus and community.

Feel like you missed out? Listen to Hannah and two student designers talk more about the process here, read about it in d’Arte Magazine, CMU’s stunning fashion and photography periodical, or watch the highlights below:

What about you, ModLovers? Do you aspire to design your own clothing? Which designs inspire/appeal to you more: the conceptual “couture” pieces, or the more “wearer-friendly,” everyday designs?

About ModCloth

I don’t know how much influence modcloth had in choosing the models — but I love how they display realistic body types. A nice blend of tall, short, skinny, muscular, round, curvy, bony, and all beautiful. Great job (and the fashion is beautiful too!)